Direct proof of use
Official U.S. Army reporting links explosive building-entry breaching charges to the 2003 Iraq War. A January 2011 Army article on live explosive-breach instruction stated that engineers were then using the same techniques in Iraq and Afghanistan, with explosives used to enter and clear buildings while limiting unnecessary damage.
A dated Iraq-specific DVIDS publication provides a more granular example. In August 2011, Company C, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a live-fire demolition range at Contingency Operating Site Warrior in Iraq that included a C-4 explosive charge used to breach a door during close-quarters battle training.
Sources: Army Guard breaching course, Ironhorse Strong Issue 37
Timeline
The public documentation is strongest for U.S. engineer use and training during the later Iraq War period rather than for a comprehensive list of combat entries. In January 2011, the Army described explosive building-entry techniques as then-current practices used by engineers in Iraq. On August 11, 2011, DVIDS-documented range activity at COS Warrior showed soldiers firing demolition charges and using C-4 to breach doors.
The August 2011 report places the charge in a close-quarters battle and combat-engineer skill set. It identifies the U.S. Army unit, the Iraqi location, the charge material, and the task of breaching doors, but it does not describe a specific hostile-entry incident.
Sources: Army Guard breaching course, Ironhorse Strong Issue 37
Operational role
In the 2003 Iraq War record, the documented side is United States and coalition forces, with the available sources identifying U.S. Army engineers as the users. The supported role was urban assault and mobility support: explosive charges enabled entry through doors and other building access points during room-clearing or close-quarters battle tasks.
The Army breaching-course article describes the tactical purpose in general terms: explosive breaching gave engineers attached to infantry squads a way to enter and clear buildings with controlled damage. The DVIDS publication narrows that record to Iraq by showing Company C soldiers in 2011 working with demolition charges and C-4 door-breach drills at a U.S. operating site.
Sources: Army Guard breaching course, Ironhorse Strong Issue 37
Evidence limits
The public sources directly support U.S. Army fielding and training use of explosive door-breaching charges in Iraq during the war. They do not identify Iraqi government, insurgent, or militia use of this weapon entry method, and they should not be read as a complete incident log for every coalition building entry in Iraq.
Sources: Army Guard breaching course, Ironhorse Strong Issue 37
